How to get that gross mildew smell out of your laundry

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A few months ago, I committed a terrible laundry sin. I started a load of laundry and, halfway through a wash cycle, went out for dinner. I came home, oblivious to the wet laundry still in my washer. The next day, it wasn’t until well after midday that I finally remembered my clothes were in the washer. Instead of adding some laundry detergent and rewashing the load, I decided to just move the garments into the dryer and start the next one.

What resulted was not one but two loads of stinky, mildew-y laundry, which did not seem salvageable, even after washing each load several times in cold water with my usual scented laundry detergent.

After hours of scrolling through Reddit threads and talking to a few experts, including Consumer Reports’ laundry expert Rich Handel, I was finally able to rid my clothing of the nasty smell. Here are some tips for preventing this from happening to your own laundry and dealing with it if you’ve already made the same mistake I made.

Why your clothes smell like mildew

Mold and mildew grow in humid places, which is why it is so common in bathrooms and basements. A closed, wet washing machine is another perfect environment for these fungi to thrive. Mold can develop in as little as 24 to 48 hours, and not just on clothing but also on the machine itself. If you have a front-load washer and you don’t keep the door open to allow the interior to dry, you’re just asking for a smelly problem. Cleaning the machine regularly and removing wet clothing as soon as a wash cycle finishes are key to avoiding an offensive odor in your laundry.

How do you get rid of mildew smells in clothes?

Handel offered several suggestions for remedying my stinky laundry. His first recommendation was to leave it in the washer and just run another wash cycle on the load. This should work if you haven’t dried the load because, Handel says, the dryer can lock the smell in. Unfortunately, I had already dried my laundry, so this didn’t work for me.

If another wash doesn’t work and the garments are whites and cotton, he said, “you can try soaking it in a bleach solution, rinsing it well, and then washing with other whites.” Though we haven’t tested them at CR yet, Handel also mentioned that there are specialty laundry detergents, such as Persil Activewear Clean and Hex Performance Laundry Detergent, that are meant to remove gym smells from athletic wear and laundry sanitizers, like the ones from Lysol and Clorox, which are claimed to remove all kinds of other odours. They’re worth a shot if you’re really struggling to get rid of the smell.

Zachary Pozniak, chief operating officer of garment care company Jeeves New York, had some additional suggestions. The first was simple: Rewash the clothing at a higher temperature. If the hot wash doesn’t work, he recommended two types of products: laundry sanitizers and specialty rinse products like Downy Rinse & Refresh or Tide Clean Boost. Both of these products are meant to eliminate odours during the rinse cycle. We have not tested them at CR yet.

One last solution Pozniak offered: “Pretreat with a mould spray like Microban if you’re confident it’s mould/mildew-related.” If you’re going to try this, make sure to spray a small, hidden area first to make sure it won’t ruin your clothing.

One DIY ‘remedy’ to skip

When I first panic-searched for a solution to my smelly laundry, I found quite a few sites and Reddit threads recommending I pour distilled white vinegar into the detergent dispenser of my washing machine to get rid of the smell. While vinegar may help get rid of the odors, it may also cause damage to your washing machine. Vinegar can damage the rubber seals and hoses of your washer, which could lead to leaks. Leaks all over your floor could cause an even bigger mold and mildew problem in your home, so it’s best to skip this one. Check the owner’s manual for tips on cleaning the machine.

The bottom line

Set a timer, don’t start a load of laundry when you know you’re leaving home soon, and whatever you do, don’t let your wet laundry sit in the washing machine too long. If you do, be prepared to rewash your clothing in hotter water (check the care label) and with specialty laundry products—maybe multiple times.

What finally worked for me was cleaning my washing machine and then rewashing all of my garments in hot water instead of my usual cold water. With the time, extra detergent, and energy I had to dedicate to fixing my stinky laundry, I can safely say I will not be making the same mistake again.

By Jodhaira Rodriguez, Consumer Reports Home & Trends Writer